can't quite CAPTURE
by loveling
Summary: Ryoma. He's in a restaurant, and there's a waitress. There's just something about her he can't quite capture. [oneshot!slightly RyoSaku]


**can't quite CAPTURE  
**CAPTURED by a girl named **ginny**-fer pwahahaha

**&&&&&&&&&&&**

"Irasshaimase!" A pretty teenager with a cheerful smile greeted as Ryoma and Momo entered the quaint, little restaurant. _St. Claire's_ was not part of any of the big chains and was individually owned by a young couple. However, in these parts, it was a rather fashionable, popular American-style eatery for teenagers who had money to spend. _St. Claire's_, according to Momo, also had a large variety of cute waitresses.

"We should go to _St. Claire's_!" Momo suggested when he and Ryoma planned to meet up on the weekend. They kept a sort of tradition of going to the sports store and then to a restaurant afterwards every weekend, when there weren't any tournaments, anyway. Even though they no longer went to the same school, Ryoma and Momo were so used to each other that they were inclined to keep their tradition after graduation. "I heard they had cute girls!" Momo had said, grinning cheekily. Momo was, after all, a lady's man.

Momo nudged Ryoma when the hostess turned. "Cute, eh?"

"Aa," Ryoma responded indifferently. Despite being sixteen now, he still didn't really care much for girls. They were annoying creatures. They always flittered to his side in class and pulled at a vein when they cheered gratingly at his matches. He could stand people watching and cheering, but when the girls constantly shrieked in shrill voices and cried "Oh NO!" when Ryoma missed a point or was currently not winning, it annoyed him to no end. If they knew anything by now, they'd know that Ryoma _always_ made a come back.

The hostess led them to a table and smiled, "Your waitress will be here soon," she said cheerfully before leaving the two to greet more people at the toll of the bell. "Irasshaimase!"

Ryoma and Momo seated themselves. Ryoma took a look at the menu as Momo started to talk about this girl who sat next to him in biology. "...really cute...nice...obento boxes...tennis..." Whenever Momo started talking about some girl or another, Ryoma's mind usually ended up wandering elsewhere.

"Hello, I'll be your waitress today, would you like to start off with any drinks?"

"Grape ponta," Ryoma ordered, not bothering to look up.

"I guess I'll have the same," Momo said in a strangely husky voice.

Ryoma raised his eyebrow and he looked up from the menu to take a look at Momo. As he suspected, Momo was indeed putting on his "charming" personality, a flashy grin imbedded in his youthful face. Ryoma looked towards the waitress, wondering what girl had captured Momo's attention.

Instead of giving the girl a quick glance, Ryoma found himself observing her intently. He had to admit that she was cute. The girl had big, chocolate eyes and long, chestnut hair braided down her back. Long eyelashes framed her eyes and she fit perfectly into the cute, flirty outfit that all the waitresses at _St. Claire's_ wore. Yes, definitely cute. Pretty, actually. Ryoma squinted his eyes, there was something... _something_ about her was just strangely familiar. He couldn't quite place it. He swallowed, gazing at her face even more intently than before.

"So..." Momo started in a friendly way. "Does a pretty girl like you have a boyfriend yet?"

She blinked at Momo, a look of confusion fluttered to her face. The girl smiled unsurely, "Your drinks will be coming up." There was a slight tremor in her sweet voice, the confusion still nailed in her pretty features. She glanced towards Ryoma, a red tint rising up her neck and flaming to her cheeks when she felt his piercing stare. The waitress quickly looked away when her eyes caught Ryoma's amber ones, and she walked away hastily.

When she left, Ryoma raised his eyebrows at Momo. "Your charm didn't work on her, I guess," Ryoma drawled, a smirk on his lips.

Momo raised his own eyebrows at this, a smug look wiped onto his face. "Maybe she's more your type, I noticed you looking at her quite a lot. You don't normally do that, hmm?" Momo lowered his eyes, fingers flipping through the menu.

Ryoma felt his cheeks heat up and he tilted his cap down lower on his head, his eyes no longer visible. He cleared his throat and scowled, obviously flustered. "That's not it, there's just something about her that's familiar."

"Right." Momo was about to make a snide comment, but was beaten by a picture of a mouthwatering dish of baby back ribs. He unconsciously smacked his lips at the glazed meat. "_St. Claire's_ has the best American food around here." All talk of the cute waitress had dropped from Momo's mind, now replaced with the prospect of his glazed baby back ribs. Come to think of it, he was rather hungry.

A sort of relief swept into Ryoma. He was relieved that Momo would no longer be heckling him about the waitress. Whenever Ryoma showed even a minute interest towards any girl, Momo normally hassled Ryoma about it, often exaggerating Ryoma's actions and feelings. Ryoma looked through the menu for a few minutes, deciding to order a slice of steak himself. When Momo suggested _St. Claire's_, Ryoma did not want to go. He was never that fond of western food, much preferring japanese cuisine. Still, it was Momo's time to choose this time.

The waitress returned, drinks in hand. She placed the glasses of ponta onto the table and took the pen from behind her ear and held it into the air, ready to write on her small, black pad. Ryoma eyes lifted up and he forgot about Momo's tendency to tease when he felt the nagging feeling in his stomach. _Where was this girl from?_

"Are you ready to order?" There was a natural cheer in her voice, or maybe there was some sort of sunshine in her smile, something_ happy_ about her. Ryoma frowned. But it wasn't annoying like that girl at school on the student counsel who had the most annoying cheer about her. The waitress's cheer was _nothing_ like that. In fact, the waitress's cheer actually felt a bit contagious.

"Uhm.. sir? Are you ready to order?"

Ryoma blinked. The confused expression returned to the girl's countenance. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for his order. Ryoma instantly removed eye contact, sweeping his eyes towards his friend who sat across from him. Momo was staring at Ryoma, smiling lazily. 

"You can order first," Ryoma muttered gruffly. His mouth moved into a slight scowl, he felt very annoyed. Half of his annoyance stemmed from the stupid, annoying friend, and the other half stemmed from his inability to place the waitress. She was so familiar, he just knew he had met her before. Which was odd. Ryoma never remembered people, yet this girl triggered an irksome feeling in him.

"I already ordered."

Ryoma wanted to smack that smug grin off the stupid's face, a strong urge to challenge him to a tennis match and then crushing him brutally, rising within him.

"Fine, I'd like a sirloin steak with mashed potatoes," Ryoma ordered, a dark look on his face. The girl nodded, she granted Ryoma another pretty smile and said in a light, airy voice "it'll come out soon" before she left again.

"You must really like this girl or something." Momo's voice sounded strangely more annoying than usual to Ryoma today, striking a chord.

"I don't, there's just something about her that's familiar," Ryoma stuck by his original protest. Sheesh. That stupid friend of his knew_ nothing_. Not all guys were desperate for girls like he was!

"So then, it's okay if I make a pass at her." Momo was now grinning like a chesire cat.

Ryoma scowled. "Do whatever you want." Despite his words, Ryoma tossed Momo a fierce glare that clearly read _No, no you may not_.

When the waitress came back with their orders, Momo looked up at her, tossed her one of his "charming" looks and asked her for her name in a silky voice. Momo then proceeded to josh at himself a bit before telling a small joke. The girl laughed, her eyes crinkling up in a strangely friendly way. "I'm Sakuno," she introduced herself, smiling.

"That's a very pretty name," Momo complimented, edging to the side of his seat, his self closer to Sakuno. "I'm--"  
  
"Momoshiro Takeshi," Sakuno interrupted knowingly. She smiled, cheeks flushed at her sudden words. "I know. I don't think you remember me, but I went to Seigaku. Obaa-chan was your coach."

Both Momo and Ryoma's mouth were agape.

"You're the old hag's granddaughter!?"

Sakuno nodded her head, smiling again at Ryoma and Momo's reactions. "I should get back to work now," she excused herself as she yet again, walked away.

_She was the cheerleader._

And there was also that annoying girl who cried Ryoma-sama.

Her hair had been longer then, and in those two_ ridiculous _pigtails that completely hindered the act of playing tennis.

"Wow." Momo finally broke the awkward silence that hovered over the table. "Didn't she have a crush on you back then?"

A blush rose to Ryoma's cheeks.

"No."

Momo opened his mouth, about to make a comment to tease Ryoma but felt the words choke in him. He felt awkward himself for flirting with Ryoma's former, dedicated cheerleader. The fact that she was the old hag's granddaughter was also not comforting, despite the fact that Sakuno was very attractive. C'mon. It was the _old hag._

They ate in silence.

"Are you guys done?" Sakuno asked when she came back. She noted the unfinished food on their plates and asked them if they needed any boxes. Both Ryoma and Momo declined. They never got boxes, in fact, normally they never had any food left over. But neither really seemed to have an appetite this time around.

Momo could not believe she was the old hag's granddaughter.

And Ryoma could not believe she was his former cheerleader.

Both wondered when she had become so pretty.

"Thanks," Ryoma managed to say to Sakuno when she gave them their bill. When Momo heard the word drop out of Ryoma's mouth, he quickly said his goodbyes and headed off home. Momo knew Ryoma would never do anything more in his presence, so the best he could at least do was tease and jostle information from him later on during the day.

Sakuno looked up at Ryoma, her big doe eyes gazing at him. She smiled, a rosy tint weaved in her cheeks. "No problem, Echizen-san." Ryoma frowned. _Echizen-san_. From what he remembered, it was always_ Ryoma-kun_, wasn't it?

Sakuno looked away, about ready to leave again when Ryoma called to her. "Ryuzaki." Sakuno turned around, facing him. "I uh.." Ryoma paused awkwardly. He wondered how Momo could do this all the time. Ryoma didn't even know what to say. Heck, he didn't even know why he called out her name in the first place.

"When's your next game?" Sakuno talked in place of him.

Ryoma's head tilted up to her in surprise. "Two weeks from now," Ryoma replied, regaining his composure.

A full blush now bloomed and Sakuno looked down bashfully, her eyes glued to her feet. "I'd love to watch your match," she suggested shyly.

In the end, Ryoma ended up writing down the address and time on a napkin with a crayon placed at the table for kid menus. Ryoma left _St. Claire's, _a strange flicker of hope in him that had not been there before while Sakuno continued to work, a flicker of hope in _her_ that Ryoma would still remember this instance in two weeks. Meanwhile, Momo sat by his phone, calling Ryoma every ten minutes until he answered. When Ryoma did answer, he said "mada mada dane" into the phone and hung up.

A strange day, indeed.

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****Ginny Says **hey all! I hope you sort of enjoyed this oneshot. It's ooc, I think, but I'm too lazy to make it anymore in character so hah! I recently watched a good amount of the anime, and feel like I understand the characters much better than before. Which is also why I considering removing Morning Sickness from ffnet soon.  
I'm trying to work on my multi-parter RyoSaku but I'm currently in a writer's rut and this was also sort of an attempt to get out of it... Comments? Questions? Drop a line at or review.


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